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CHAPTER 1 A Beautiful, Real Place What would you say if I told you about a pink lake? How about mountains with red, orange, blue, and gold formations? Or a cave with crystals as long as eleven meters (thirty-six feet)? These may sound impossible, but they are all real places on this earth. The pink-water lake is Lake Retba near Dakar, Senegal, close to the Cap Vert Peninsula, which is the westernmost point of the African continent. Its pink color is caused by a particular kind of algae growing in the lake. The multicolored mountains? They can be found in Gansu, China. Throughout the region, you will find wonderful rainbow-colored mountains and rock formations. Those huge crystals are found in the Cave of Crystals in Chihuahua, Mexico. The cave s temperature hovers around a blistering 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahren heit). In pictures, cave explorers look small standing next to the huge white crystals, and the beauty of such crystals is amazing. All of these seemingly unreal places are real. They actually exist, even though their descriptions seem to suggest the impossible! 11
Is Heaven for Real? What about heaven a place that is often discussed in religious circles? Is heaven real? People have a lot to say about it, and some claim to have been there. But what does the Bible say about heaven? Is it an actual place? Is it a faraway floating sphere with clouds and babies playing harps? Let us discover the truth about it. The words heaven and heavens appear more than 720 times in the Bible. It is important to note that these words can have different meanings, however. Heaven and earth together can refer to the entire universe, while the words heaven and heavens can refer to the sky, the stars, and the planets. Those two words can also signify the home of the righteous. So in the Bible, the word heaven can mean a physical place we can see or the place we cannot see that God calls home, depending on the context. For our purpose here, we will concern ourselves with the latter meaning the home of the righteous that we cannot see. Sometimes heaven is described in the Bible without using the actual word. This is the case when Jesus speaks of heaven and the preparations He is making there for us. Notice what He says in John 14:1 4, which is a text you might know well: Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know. Here heaven 12
A Beautiful, Real Place is described as the place where God dwells. Jesus is preparing for His followers to go and settle there. In our study, we will discover the wonderful home Jesus is preparing, keeping in mind what Isaiah says: Since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him (Isaiah 64:4, KJV). The Bible describes heaven in human terms so that we can understand, but those depictions fall short of how amazing it will be. Ephesians 3:20 says that God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think. So why even try to understand? Because heaven is an important place for us to know about, and we do not want to miss out on it. God tells us how He will make our final home: For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former shall not be remembered or come to mind (Isaiah 65:17). He will make everything new. In Revelation, John describes it this way: Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away (Revelation 21:1). God created this earth more than six thousand years ago, and He created it over the course of six days. It was perfect in every aspect. Then sin marred the earth, and now we are in the situation we find today on a very imperfect planet. But a day is coming when God will destroy this earth to make a new earth on which we will live. On that day, there will be a lot of noise and physical and chemical 13
Is Heaven for Real? reactions. The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up (2 Peter 3:10). Every aspect of this world will be destroyed and replaced: The heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat (verse 12). Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells (verse 13). Heaven is God s home now. But where is it? The Bible does not give us an exact location. It is out in the universe somewhere. Psalm 14:2 says, The Lord looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any who understand, who seek God. And Psalm 33:13 says, The Lord looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men. God can see us from where He is, even though we cannot see Him. And describing Jesus ascension from this earth, the book of Acts says, Now when He had spoken these things, while they [the disciples] watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven (Acts 1:9 11). So heaven is a real place where God the Father lives, and Jesus is there too. John tells us what he saw in vision when the city of 14
A Beautiful, Real Place God will come to the remade earth: Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband (Revelation 21:2). The city will come from heaven to earth. So where is heaven? It is out there somewhere. Heaven is a real place. God made this earth so that He could be with His human friends. We rebelled and turned away from Him, and the earth was ruined. He will make it perfect again, with a guarantee, according to Nahum 1:9, that affliction will not rise up a second time. Heaven is a real place where there will not be any sin. No more drive-by shootings, no more car accidents, no more drunk drivers, and no more calls at midnight telling us about a family member who has died; nothing like that will happen anymore forever. The book of Revelation tells us what else will not be in heaven: pain and suffering. God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away (Revelation 21:4). Heaven might seem too good to be true, but truly there will not be any more death no more goodbyes, no more sudden losses, and no more heartache. If you have lost someone close to you, you ll be reunited. And because of that, there will be no more sorrow or grief. You will never have to mourn again. Can you picture that perfect harmony? We will have no need to weep. No more tears of sadness; everything will be 15
Is Heaven for Real? perfect in Jesus. Unquestionably, there will be no physical pain: no arthritis, and no aches and pains. Are you happy to know that? I know I am. I have had four knee surgeries, and I look forward to the day when there will be no aches and pains. We are also talking about emotional pain. Maybe you have been abused, or you have gone through a traumatic time that left you emotionally damaged. Jesus reaches out His arms of love and tells you heaven is real. He says, I am preparing a place for you right now! Cling to Me, stay close to Me, and I will take you there. And God s people have heard the invitation. Now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them (Hebrews 11:16). God has prepared heaven with you in mind. Heaven has real gates for entry. Look at John s marvelous description in Revelation 21 of what the heavenly city looks like: An angel showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal. Also she had a great and high wall with twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates, and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west (verses 10 13). These gates are not to keep anyone out but rather are a message for people to come from all corners of the earth and inhabit 16
A Beautiful, Real Place this place. Three gates to the north and to the south, to the west and to the east twelve total all cry out as an invitation to come into this beautiful place. Revelation 21:14 17 also records the measurements of this magnificent city: Now the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. And he who talked with me had a gold reed to measure the city, its gates, and its wall. The city is laid out as a square; its length is as great as its breadth. And he measured the city with the reed: twelve thousand furlongs. Its length, breadth, and height are equal. Then he measured its wall: one hundred and forty-four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of an angel. Heaven has real foundations, which have the names of the apostles inscribed on them. And the city is a perfect square. Twelve thousand furlongs is just over 2,200 kilometers (1,367 miles), making the city a little more than 550 kilometers (342 miles) per side. That would be the equivalent of driving from downtown Toronto to Montreal and that is just one side! It would be comparable to the distance between Calgary and Saskatoon or Calgary and Kamloops. And picture this: each side, 550 kilometers (342 miles) long, has a wall almost 64 meters (210 feet) thick. Heaven is a real, measurable place. The building materials of the city are likewise impressive: The construction of its wall was of jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass. The foundations 17
Is Heaven for Real? of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones: the first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass (verses 18 21). Picture that perfect beauty in your mind. Jesus has prepared all of this for you and me. Are you excited? This will be a city like you have never seen. No more pollution and no more terrible weather instead, it will be absolute perfection. In addition to the city of New Jerusalem on this earth made anew, we will also live in homes that we build in the countryside. They shall build houses and inhabit them; They shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit. They shall not build and another inhabit; They shall not plant and another eat; For as the days of a tree, so shall be the days of My people, And My elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands (Isaiah 65:21, 22). 18
A Beautiful, Real Place We will build houses, plant gardens, and enjoy the fruits of our labor. No more will we build our dream homes only to move away and sell them. No more will we have beautiful gardens destroyed by weeds and pests. We will enjoy our lives in this very real place. Our bodies also will be new. We will be able to work all day and not experience exhaustion and pain. Here is how Paul reports it: For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself (Philippians 3:20, 21). So that we are sure this means our real physical bodies, think about what Jesus body was like after He was resurrected from death. He appeared to His disciples and said, Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts? Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have. When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet (Luke 24:38 40). In His remade body, Jesus was real flesh and bones. His lowly body was now glorious. It would never grow old. And it would not grow weary and stop working. Likewise, in that moment when we are re-created to live in heaven, 19
Is Heaven for Real? our bodies will be perfect and imperishable. In case you have not gotten the picture yet, notice that we will not be sitting around on clouds, strumming our harps. In heaven, real people will have real conversations. Jesus told us that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 8:11). Can you imagine what it will be like to have a conversation face-to-face with these heroes of the Bible? Think about who you would like to talk with first: Daniel, Jeremiah, Ruth, Matthew, David, or Joshua. Who will it be? In addition, the perfect harmony of heaven will be seen in the animal kingdom. Isaiah shares a beautiful scene: The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, The leopard shall lie down with the young goat, The calf and the young lion and the fatling together; And a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze; Their young ones shall lie down together; And the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play by the cobra s hole, And the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper s den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord (Isaiah 11:6 9). 20
A Beautiful, Real Place All the animals will live in perfect harmony and peace. No animals will eat one another; instead, all of them will enjoy the peace of God. Above all else, one thing in heaven that should attract us and bring us supreme joy is the opportunity to meet Jesus. He is the reason we will be there. He has made the provision for us to go, and He has prepared a place for us. Today He is calling you and me to prepare for entry into heaven to come to Him, to give our lives to Him, to live for Him, and to be obedient to Him. The Bible promises we will each receive a crown in heaven. Paul tells us, There is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing (2 Timothy 4:8). What a glorious day that will be! Jesus has paid the price for us to enter heaven. He has invited you; it does not matter whether you are rich or poor, male or female, young or old, or successful or not. Jesus is calling you. He wants you to be prepared for heaven a real place for real people. When we get there, we will receive a crown, but we will not even glory in that crown. Revelation 4 says that those in heaven cast their crowns at the feet of Jesus. Why? Because He paid the price for it all. Jesus calls you today. Will you answer? 21